38th ‘Dance Pe Chance’: Federation of Indian Associations’ spectacular flagship event dazzles

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More than 300 children from the various community dance schools in the tri-state area competed Saturday, May 7, 2022, in the 38^th edition of ‘Dance Pe Chance, showcasing their talent, discipline, technique and costumes at the Patriots War Memorial Theatre in Trenton, N.J. The event was all the more welcome coming after a 2-year pandemic hiatus.

Children ages 6 to 16, and mix-age age adult groups competed in what has become a tradition of high quality production honed over the nearly 4 decades since it began.

Colorful production lighting backdrops props and music made it a riveting show with its mixed repertoire of culture and tradition set to the tune of contemporary Indian ‘Bollywood’ Film Songs.

Inclement weather did nothing to dampen the spirit and the event saw a great turnout of more than 1,100 spectators, organizers said in a press release.

Altogether 16 different performances were showcased by the groups which included non-scoring performances by adult dancing groups.

The judges panel this year comprised of renowned Kathak dancer and actress Guru Archana Joglekar, Bollywood choreographer and director Kush Banker, popular actress of South Indian Films Manya, and the star emcee, Bollywood actress Mannara Chopra.

India’s Deputy Counsel General New York Dr. Varun Jeph was in attendance.  He expressed his joy in witnessing the participation from diverse community groups including members from other communities and expressed his gratitude to FIA for engaging the children and instilling in them India’s culture and dance.

FIA President Kenny Desai thanked all the judges, sponsors and FIA executive team along with the all female Dance Pe Chance (DPC) team that worked to bring this complex event together. He also invited the community to participate in numbers for the India Day Parade in Manhattan in August this year.

FIA Chairman Ankur Vaidya thanked the FIA President and his Executive team along with DPC Chair Saurin Parikh and Smita Miki Patel for a job well done.  He also remembered FIA’s founding member Yash Paul Soi and his contribution to the organization and to the DPC event over the past four decades.  Vaidya thanked the Piscataway Township and Councilmember Kapil Shah for naming the Piscataway cricket field in the memory of Jay (Jaswant) Mody.  Jay Mody was a lifelong FIA volunteer and a community leader who served various other organizations during his community service tenure of over 40 years.

FIA Vice President and Dance Pe Chance Chair Saurin Parikh thanked all the sponsors, media partners and the Consulate General of India NY for their uninterrupted service to the community during the pandemic. Members of the Consulate General of India-New York team was felicitated with flowers on stage as a thank you from the community.

Also in attendance at the event were Past President & Board of Trustee member Srujal Parikh, FIA Vice President Himanshu Bhatia, FIA Secretary Praveen Bansal, FIA Jt. Secretary Smita Miki Patel, FIA Treasurer Amit Ringasia, FIA Jt. Treasurer Mahesh Dubal, FIA Past President Alok Kumar, and BJANA President Anurag Kumar among others.

More than $20,000 were given away in cash prizes, the first price being of $ 5,000.00 which was won in a tie between Aum Dance Creations and Atma Dance Studios.

Dance pe chance has today seen participation from nearly 19,000 children. The competition aims at bringing to light the diverse cultures of India, inspiring creativity and encouraging team work, plus a spirit of competitiveness among children to make them face the future better and making them aware of their roots, the press release said.

Sponsors and supporters made the event possible, and unlike any other dance competition this year as well, all meals and close to 400 tickets were given to the participating students, the press release said.

For the first time ever, the half-time show was a performance by Mannara Chopra along with choreographers Sandesh Shetty and Deepa Pais, in a medley performance that concluded with  a thunderous applause from the audience

FIA thanked its sponsors ICICI Bank, Parikh Worldwide Media, TV Asia, Bansal Foundation, Arista Care, Dr Rashmi and Navin Mehta Foundation, New York Banners-Stands, Royal Albert’s  Palace and media partners ITV Gold, TV Asia, South Asian Times, Radio Zindagi and Indian Panorama.

Winners of the 38th Dance Pe Chance competition held May 7, 2022 at Patriots War Memorial Theater in Trenton, N.J. List provided by Federtion of Indian Associations-NYNJCT